On The Town!
Benedict asks:
On my regular sorties through our local neighbourhood of Greenwich I am often amazed and puzzled by the appearance of large Royal Navy ships moored next to Greenwich pier. Do you have any idea what they do while they are stationed here? I don't see any drunken sailors cavorting in the town, unless they are disguised as Italian tourists and I don't notice quarter masters queuing at Drings or the cheese shop for supplies.Can you in your infinite knowledge of all things local shed any light on this conundrum?
The Phantom replies:
I think it might be that it's a good, deep place to moor, reasonably close to London - though why they're going to London in the first place beats me. I have seen groups of sailors (If memory serves the last lot I saw were from HMS President) wandering round the shops and market - often with what are quite obviously their mums and dads, posing for pictures in uniform outside the Old Royal Naval College, so I think that we do get shore-leave sailors from time to time. I haven't seen any cavorting or carousing in taverns - though of course they may just change into civvies.
Anyone out there with a nautical bent who can shed some more light on this?
On my regular sorties through our local neighbourhood of Greenwich I am often amazed and puzzled by the appearance of large Royal Navy ships moored next to Greenwich pier. Do you have any idea what they do while they are stationed here? I don't see any drunken sailors cavorting in the town, unless they are disguised as Italian tourists and I don't notice quarter masters queuing at Drings or the cheese shop for supplies.Can you in your infinite knowledge of all things local shed any light on this conundrum?
The Phantom replies:
I think it might be that it's a good, deep place to moor, reasonably close to London - though why they're going to London in the first place beats me. I have seen groups of sailors (If memory serves the last lot I saw were from HMS President) wandering round the shops and market - often with what are quite obviously their mums and dads, posing for pictures in uniform outside the Old Royal Naval College, so I think that we do get shore-leave sailors from time to time. I haven't seen any cavorting or carousing in taverns - though of course they may just change into civvies.
Anyone out there with a nautical bent who can shed some more light on this?
Labels: Ask The Phantom
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
14:50
8 Comments:
I think it is, perhaps, that they are no longer so obvious in civvies.
I comment thus because, back in the 70s in the Woolwich area, squaddies from the barracks stood out like a sore thumb. Many (most) were from The North. At that time there was a very noticeable unemployment/employment divide between North and South. For many young men in The North, the only realistic alternative to unemployment was to join the armed services. There was also a very noticeable time-lag fashionwise. The other obvious difference was hair length. So... short-back-and-sides plus three-button brown Oxford Bags and wide collars & lapels = Squaddy. That, and being chased around Woolwich by Red Caps after a heavy night in The Shakespeare, of course!
I may be getting old, but I think that both the armed forces and Northerners may have caught up fashionwise (plus the hair thing).
Isn't it, though? Random!
Nah we Northerners are still behind you Sarf Londoners, just cant get enought fake Burberry and gold sov's from Deptford market. We also quite like to live in gated communities on the Thames, the gates keep you pikies out.
Sethee later.
Looks like one of The Phantom's debates developing here (light the indigo touch paper).
For a brilliant, thoughtful and amusing consideration of north v south see Stuart Maconie's excellent 'Pies and Predjudice- In search of the North'.
Pah, Maconie's book is only really about Lancashire, he gives God's Own Country about 6 pages.
Re: Maconie.
Yorkshire, which I've heard other misguided folks refer to as 'God's Own Country', gets 35 pages in the edition I've got. It is fair to say that a bit more would have been welcome, even though the white rose is not my rose. However, Cheshire, Merseyside and the barcode Geordies, Makem's, chemists and monkey hangers in the NE all get a reet good slice.
But we are getting away from The Phantom's questions about shore leave.
If you are down at Greenwich pier about 8am for the clipper you can see the press gangs (sorry, recuiting officers) shipping local youths out to the moored vessels. Pressumably having slipped the Queen's shilling into their ale jugs the night before.
I would have thought that the reason for this weeks arrival was fairly obvious or was I the only one to have noticed that it was the 11th day of the 11th month?
a shilling eh?
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